College Town construction kicks off

Ground was broken Thursday for the $100 million College Town mixed-use development at the University of Rochester. Completion is scheduled for late fall in 2014.

The plan calls for the 500,000 square feet of retail and dining space, hotel and conference facilities, parking and housing for the city’s Mt. Hope Avenue and UR communities on 14 acres owned by the college, officials said.

College Town includes a Hilton Garden Inn and Conference Center, a grocery, a bookstore, street-level retail, second-floor office space and housing. It also includes 1,500 parking spaces, with 948 set aside for the UR.

The project is designed to create a walkable neighborhood with wide footpaths and green space, officials said.

Some $17 million in public infrastructure improvements at the intersection of Mt. Hope and Elmwood avenues by the city of Rochester are under way. They include landscaped medians, new sidewalks, broadened roadways, reduced curb cuts, new signals, signage and traffic controls, officials said.

“Today is a great day for Rochester, and the entire region, as we celebrate this project that will have an incredible impact on the University of Rochester and the surrounding community,” said Lt. Gov. Robert Duffy, who returned to his home base for the ceremony.